Mo Money, Mo Problems

Anthony linked somewhat disapprovingly to a video in which some young climate scientists from a provincial university pretend to be rappers. Here at CA, we have a more relaxed attitude towards rap music, having in the past linked to workshop presentations by Mathers et al and (Kim) Jones et al.- see post here.

Why should readers of the Climategate emails be surprised that young climate scientists want to act like real thugs, just like the Team? That they too want to sip cristal in the VIPCC? Why should they settle for “Bahamas in the spring” (Jones et al 1996 at 0:36 – see passim citation here – when they can also have Tahiti (Jones 2008)?

Tracing influences within the genre is not without its interest. The lyrical turn of phrase of the would-be real_thugs

“Oh Eee Ohh Eee oh wee ice ice ice”

seems reminiscent of a similarly memorable turn of phrase at minute 1.51 here, despite the absence of footnotes.

Overlooked in the venture downtown by the young scientists was an obvious opportunity to build on the most obvious rap anthem for climate scientists:

They may be trying to appeal to the “younger” generation, but they come off as a bunch of ignorant fools. I suppose one should give them poetic license, but really, calling it a theory? A second year student is taught that a theory is not something you come up with while downing a quart of mescale.

Before people get too self righteous about young people , please compare and contrast to the rap oeuvre of doctors at Mt Sinai, also reflecting on Mo Money Mo Problems. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yUFk_QfIDY

I was not getting too ‘self righteous’ on young people. But Rap is a young person’s music (that was the context I used young people – as appealing to). I was offended by the climate rap due to the false information it portrayed – as if they were trying to dumb down the issue (taking us for fools). I actually found the Mt. Sinai video amusing! And clever. They were not insulting or talking down to their audience.

Ahh…they are trying the appeal to authority tactic again. We are suppose to ignore their transgressions in their research and their blatant disregard for the scientific method. I don’t think so. I don’t give blank checks to anyone. If it is too hard too hard to publicize your COMPLETE methodologies and COMPLETE data sets, then get a degree in astrology or women’s studies…

It’s all part of the same logical progression: rock is music for people who can’t read music, rap is for people who can’t sing, and climatological alarm-ism…that’s for disgraced, FOI-breaching, email-deleting, scientific-method-abusers.

I spend 9 months making a geological map around the coast of Trinidad back in 1996/1997. We had a local guy helping us in the field and he was a singer in a rap band and he pretty muc rapped all day long. I had nine months of stuff like: “Oh Jimmy’s on the rocks. an’ ‘e’s breakin’ them in blocks…”

“– when they can also have Tahiti (Jones 2008)? ”
Does it really matter where you hold a conference of importance to the globe? is Tahiti more expensive than New York?

Then of couse we have from watts:

“I will be giving a lecture in Washington in early June on my way through to the Bahamas. Following are the slides that pertain to the agricultural impact of the current de Vries cycle event – the Eddy Minimum.”

Potential Agricultural Impact of the Eddy Minimum
Posted on May 12, 2011 by Anthony Watts
Guest post by David Archibald

Perhaps he is paying for it himself? (I would imagine Jones would like a salary that enabled him to pay for such trips

In “It’s All About the Benjamins” here , Puff Daddy reminds listeners of the perennial problem of getting grants:

Tryin to get my hands on some Grants like Horace

before complaining about menus – a problem familiar to climate scientists as well:

Yeah livin the raw deal, three course meals
Spaghetti, fettucini, and veal
But still, everything’s real in the field

Later Puff Daddy reflects on people “tryin to bury seven zeros, over in Rio Dijanery” [Rio de Janeiro], the site of the Framework Convention. Later Puff Daddy comments on Penn State, familiar to CA readers as the institution of one of the Climategate “inquiries”:

The use of the term “Praying Mantis” in connection with Penn State has not attracted as much attention among rap scholars as it deserves and, to my knowledge, the Climategate emails have not been canvassed in this context and associations may occur to rap scholars.

The juxtaposition of “state pen” and “Penn State” also occurs in the libel suit against Tim Ball posted up at Desmog here . No editorializing on this please.

I know that you weren’t talking about the choreography of Mo Money Mo Problems, but, when you think about it, the choreography has a kind of anti-symmetry that is more reminiscent of the second and third Chladni patterns e.g. minute 3.40 or so of the linked video (as opposed to Four Tops synchronization).

Given the adulation of bling and possessions in rap videos, there are many opportunities for ironic comment on the climate scientists. The message problem is sort of like Weird Al Jankovitch rapping about Smart cars and bicycles and sex at NGO conferences, while P Diddy and Lil Kim blow dust in his face driving by in their Benz or Lexus. It’s what David King complained about when he complained that hot girls prefer racing car drivers to environmentally conscious people (such as, presumably, David King himself).

Re: Steve McIntyre (May 13 11:44), I was thinking like this.
You are noting some linguistic similarites between rap and climate science. Ordinarily we look for footnotes or quotes as a sure sign of influence. That is we can infer a causal relationship for that patterning. Absent that we have a tough time figuring out whether the pattern is real influence or just an artifact of beating the drum of language. these patternings are not random, but structures that just emerge,(like penn state, state pen..)
I’ll surmise that it comes out in certain emotional states when the neo cortex is not in control. almost a reversion to a kind of babbling

Praying Mantis is likely illusion to Kung Fu, and the perfection of some skill or art. I doubt many hip-hop scholars would know the reference. The Beastie Boys used it in reference to basketball at times, but they were also Sonnie Chiba fans. It has a more individual flavor than anything that it inherent in hip hop culture.

Off to Washington
Steve McIntyre, posted on Mar 1, 2006 at 6:32 AM
Off to Washington this afternoon. I’ve been contacted in advance by one representative of the media who’s going to be covering the entire event. If anyone wishes to contact me, email me in the next few hours and I’ll give a cell #. I’ll post up our presentation in a few days
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KTH, Stockholm Conference
Steve McIntyre, posted on Sep 19, 2006 at 8:43 AM
Then moi. I explained how I got interested in the climate debate and how our present analysis evolved, beginning with the 2003 exchanges. Some aspects of our dialogue with Mann make more sense in this context.
…We had a nice chat in the afternoon – it was a beautiful sunny day in Stockholm. This is the third occasion tis year that we’ve co-presented: at the National Academy of Sciences, at the House Energy and Commerce Committee and now the KTH Seminar. He thought that my presentation was more relaxed than the previous presentations.
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Trip Report – Holland
Steve McIntyre, posted on Sep 24, 2006 at 8:40 PM
A late report on my visit to Holland. I don’t think that I’ve talked as much in a month as I did in 36 hours in Holland. I had two main presentations -one at KNMI in the morning; one at the Free University in the afternoon. I also had two long newspaper interviews and a long meeting on Friday morning with a Dutch mathematician. After the KNMI presentation, I had lunch with Rob van Dorland, Nanne Weber, Jos de Laat of KJNMI, all of whom were very cordial, and spent much of the afternoon talking with them
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Steve’s presentation at ICCC 2009
Anthony Watts, posted on Mar 13, 2009 at 11:22 AM
I shared a panel with Steve McIntyre at ICCC 2009,
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Erice 2009
Steve McIntyre, posted on Aug 15, 2009 at 9:52 AM
I’m off to Italy for the next two weeks, starting tonight.
… I wanted to do something constructive for the seminar so that I would be invited back. It was a great visit last year and both my wife and I wanted to go again…
I’ll check in from time to time from Erice, but my blog attendance will be spotty. We’re going to be traveling in Italy for a few days on either side of the conference – in east Sicily around Siracusa for the next couple of days and Florence for a few days after the conference.
……….30- 12.30 – Dinner. There was a 5 or 6-course banquets every night. Pre-dinner wine and hors-d’oeuvres. Then a pasta course, a fish course, a dessert course, a cheese course, plus good Italian bread – bread being a weakness of mine. Plentiful wine. Again,
As I mentioned before, we spent a couple of days in Siracusa on the east coast of Sicily before the conference and a few days in Florence after the conference.
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Heartland Presentation
Steve McIntyre, posted on May 19, 2010 at 3:26 PM
I’ll post up illustrated speaking notes in a day or two, as well as some comments. May 20 – Annotated version online here.
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Trip to England
Steve McIntyre, posted on Jul 5, 2010 at 7:35 AM
I’ve been away at a lake over the weekend. On opening my email, I find that over 120 readers have contributed support to my trip to England. I appreciate this not just for the financial support (which is appreciated), but as a demonstration of interest by readers.
july 18
Arrived back in Canada last evening after a very stimulating and interesting trip to England – two speeches, lots of questions and interviews.
First thanks to the over 250 CA readers who chipped in to support the trip. I ended up not simply with my trip paid for, but a nice appearance fee.
Second, thanks to David Holland and to Josh of Cartoons by Josh (and particularly to their wives, Kate and Liz), each of who billeted me for 3 nights. I don’t think that I’ve ever billeted with anyone before

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Erice 2010
Steve McIntyre, posted on Aug 17, 2010 at 4:39 PM
I’m off to Sicily tonight for the 2010 conference of the World Federation of Scientists, hosted by the redoubtable Antonio Zichichi. I’ll be a bit spotty checking in.
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In a trackback, Graham Readfearn accuses me of “grumbling disapprovingly” and having a “humour bypass”:

There were others who didn’t think it quite so hilarious. After undergoing a collective sense of humour bypass, climate sceptic bloggers including Tim Blair, Andrew Bolt, Anthony Watts and Steve McIntyre all grumbled disapprovingly.

Surely this is a completely unfair comment on Climate Audit. I think that the link to Wallace et al and Jones et al 1996 cannot reasonably be described as “grumbling” let alone “disapprovingly”. Moreover, I urged readers who were tempted to grumble not to do so.

When I see something like the young climate scientist rappers I have to think that what I am seeing and hearing is a parody being done that would not be favorable to the group, evidently, attempting to make a point. Certainly these rappers are very much holding themselves above the rapper caricature – and as PhD candidates “who know their climate science”. If one wanted to spoof the image of young college students thinking they have all the answers and then having the audacity to preach their message from a position of authority (we are climate scientists and PhDs and peer-reviewed, no less) what I see here would make a very good first choice.

The opportunities for satire seem endless – time for Minnesotans for Global Warming. Some of the satire is very low-hanging fruit. For example, rapper Lil Kim in Jones et al (1996b) here comments on energy use:

Cruise in my Lexus Land with no mileage
While you walk the street until your feet get calloused

This is for my peeps, with the Bentleys, the Hummers, the Benz
Escalades twenty three inch rims (Oh!)
Jumpin out the Jaguar with the Tims, keep your bread
And live good, East coast West coast worldwide

You guys do realise that Hungry Beast is actually more of a oomedy/spoof show that focusses on popular media issues… i.e. each segment jumps from people committing suicide, stats about fat food, to US debt stats to this. i.e. they’re not scientists, they’re journalists taking the piss. i.e. they’re actually spoofing climate scientists.

Wasn’t that at all Craig, they were real climate scientists recruited by the producers to do the rapping. You’re suggesting the climate scientists agreed to partake in self ridicule which is not likely. Also the ABC is the last place you’d ever see their own mouthing off the warmist cause. I am Australian (too?).

Yep, I’m saying the real climate scientists agreed to partake in self ridicule (maybe without the knowledge of it). Or at least asides from a few of the people “named” in the vid, most of the others are the normal journalists/cast from Hungry Beast. However, I can see how you could interpret it both ways… but to me it felt like self ridicule at the state of the argument in Australian media circles.

For those who (fortunately) don’t watch Australian Broadcasting Commission television, Hungry Beast is not comedy in the sense that
most people would define the term. Rather it is “ABC comedy”. This
means it is not actually funny but rather crude, self-righteous,
“right on” and very politically correct, anti-Western, environmentally conscious and leaning strongly to the left side of the political
spectrum in general.

I saw the expletive-laden sketch in question and I can confirm that
although the performers made utter fools of themselves that was clearly
an unintended consequence. The aim was obviously to attempt to make fun
of climate sceptics.

NB The ABC is the Australian equivalent of the better known British
BBC. The equivalence extends to ideology; for the ABC is at least as
committed as the BBC to sponsoring global warming alarmism.

You guys beat me to it (had this written but took a break, refreshed and saw your posts). Pretty much what I was going to say to Craig, but thanks for elaborating further:

Craig Bear, I’m not sure if you’re being serious, but if so, you are incorrect. They are in fact climate scientists and they most certainly are not spoofing climate scientists. Simpler explanation of the evidence: they are climate scientists parodying skeptics and making fools of themselves in the process. Maybe you got that and I thought you were being serious.

It wasn’t too hard to verify. I mean, they got huge nametags homey (in keeping with the theme). Jason Evans. Roger N. Jones. Ailie Gallant. Leanne Armand. Linda Beaumont. All check out as climate scientists. Your argument is wack. You think when Jason Evans opens with “Climate change is REAL” he is spoofing himself? C’mon. These guys thought it would be cool to be on a comedy show mocking skeptics, end of story.

As a related aside, if I can dig up some of the funky beats I started to write about “The Rise and Fall of Mann” last year I’ll drop ’em here later proper. Peace out.

Okay I watched it again, and maybe it’s just me… I agree that the obvious interpretation is pro AGW climate scientists… but I didn’t get that impression at all. If anything the juxtaposition of it all made me feel like they were showing how weak an argument it is to run around proclaiming that you “are a climate scientist” and therefore have all wisdom about it and everyone else is wrong… Maybe I’m reading way too much into it, and the obvious interpretation was the one they wanted. If so, I apologise for confusing anyone.

While for the University of New South Wales to be discarded as a den of iniquity (given it is not my alma marter, I think it is a little unfair to describe it as a “provincial university”. On the Thompson-Reuters measure of most cited university research across 22 disciplines it regularly comes in within the top 180, and is in the top 50 in at least one field. It is one of the largest Oz uni’s and one of its scientists was the inventor of the jpeg file format. So it is not exactly a back-water university.

Now, in the spirit of inter-university competition, and compared to my own illustrious alma-marter (that beacon of wisdom in the turgid mists of ignorance) I am happy to resume heaping derision on UNSW, and with an icing of contempt for all the mindless drones issuing from its sausage factory, and make outrageous unsupportable claims… just as long as we all recognise fact from fiction. “Provincial”, alas, except in the colonial sense, it is not.

“Craig Bear, I’m not sure if you’re being serious, but if so, you are incorrect. They are in fact climate scientists and they most certainly are not spoofing climate scientists. Simpler explanation of the evidence: they are climate scientists parodying skeptics and making fools of themselves in the process. Maybe you got that and I thought you were being serious.”

In all the lack of seriousness that the video exudes, I would not think that we should take its message very seriously, either. To do an intentional parody on ones selves would require a great amount confidence and/or hubris. Doing an unintentional self parody (as seen by outsiders) is often the bane of the arrogant, but nevertheless no less humorous than if it were intentional. I am not at all into rapping, but I know lame rapping when I see it. I would think that these intelligent climate scientists would also see that and I would suspect that at least some, after viewing the finished product and in context, would see the irony portrayed in the video of the scientist getting far afield and into obviously unfamiliar venues in attempts to make advocacy points.

There was a comedy routine on SNL where an arrogant character would have said in the context of this video and summed up its message rather well: “I am a climate scientist and you are not”. Well, I am Kenneth Fritsch and you are not. Now for the next question in the climate “science” debates.

There is something to glean from pop culture’s take on the climate business. Pop culture as social commentary tends to see the world in terms of scammers and gamers. It is a starkly competitive and cynical world in which no one really ‘earns’ or ‘produces’ anything; there are just gigs for one person or group to rip off another. So it is no surprise that it would pick up on climate; it would notice that the money flows to and from from the ‘problems’ and that no-problems means no money.